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Do you really want this person to be you ? I don't think so...

RANDI'S MESSAGE TO YOUNG WOMEN

Randi Coran is the general Manager of ShootDigital, a company that is specializing in retouching. Here is her message to all young women who feel insecure after looking at the images in magazine 

"To young women, who enjoy looking through magazines, watching movies, tuning in each to their favorite shows: the key thing to remember is that it is CREATED entertainment to sell something?  So much work goes into making that fashion spread in VOGUE, in producing a one hour episode of sex in the city.  These are actors and models and are paid to be such.  Media and entertainment are meant to be viewed and enjoyed and to create a fantasy that we all want to believe in to a certain degree.  The key thing is to remember that that you are, what you do and how you act is more important than any photo shoot.  Beauty and stardom can be fleeting.  Confidence in oneself, kindness and success lasts a lifetime"

Questions and Answers

I asked several young women questions about retouching and decided to share some of the interviews with you.

 Here are the questions that I asked each one of them:

1. Are you aware what retouching is? (Also known as airbrushing)
2. Do you think that many of the pictures of models and celebrities that appear in magazines are retouched? Can you think of any numbers? (For instance 1 out of 100, 5 out of 100..)
3. If you have the opportunity to have some of your pictures retouched will you do it? Let’s say your Facebook profile picture? Why?
4. Can you just share some thoughts on retouching? What do you think about it? Do you think that it might have positive or negative impact on young women?

And here are the answers.. 

Iga Kruk, 21- years-old

1.Yes.
2. I know for sure that most pictures of models and celebrities in magazines are retouched. I would say at least 95 out of 100. The only exceptions is tabloid magazines.
3. The only time I retouch my own photos is if there is a very noticeable blemish or discoloration. I do it because I want to come off as having clear skin. It is a sign of good health and I want to come off as attractive as as possible.
4. I personally wish magazines did not retouch, but it is inevitable that they will. I almost feel like editors having been overdoing it recently, but maybe that is only because I'm noticing it more nowadays. Some ads look SO obviously retouched, that it makes me sick. I absolutely think that it has a negative impact on young women. When it comes to body images, I can honestly say that retouching in magazines has had a negative impact on me personally. I have been comparing my body to Victoria's Secret models for years already!.. Even though I KNOW they're retouched. It's a very sick and disgusting cycle. It breaks my heart to know that other young girls torture themselves this way, but it is inevitable.

Maggie Gineva , 18-years-old, student

1. Yes. Many of today’s magazine covers and the models displayed on them are not the true representation of who those women are.

2. I do believe that the majority of pictures that appear in magazine of models and celebrities are retouched simply for the fact that they look too perfect for the photo to be a true portrayal. I would say that about 1 out of 2 photos that we see in magazines have been, in one way or another, retouched.

3. Everyone strives for perfection, and if I had the opportunity to have my photos retouched I wouldn’t pass the chance up. Retouching fully transforms the person and I would be curious to see what my face may be made to look like if it were to appear on a spread for the public to see.

4. Retouching is a widely used tool for perfecting the look of today’s women. Every magazine cover and every advertisement or model/celebrity spread within it has a photo that has been retouched. The pictures that we see in magazines, although they may claim to be portraying the woman in her natural state have, in some way, tempered with the natural beauty of the person in the photo. Retouching gives us a false view of what women really look like, and build insecurities in today’s women. From a young age, girls have begun to use photos from magazines as guidelines and even some of the women as role models of what they must to look like in order to fit into society. Due to retouching, dangerous levels have been reached in order to strive for perfection and young girls and women are continuing to suffer from the pressure put on them by society to look like the models we see on magazine covers.

Sarah Petrella, 23-years-old, actress 

1. Yes Retouching is not just airbrushing but basically a "finish" on photos. Adjusting them to make them look however you want them to look.

2. I would say 100% of all models and celebrities that appear in magazines are in some way retouched.

3. As an actor yes I get my professional photos retouched but it is important not to retouch them too much for this purpose. It needs to look like you but the "best" you. I would never just get any old photo of me retouched to put on facebook. Retouching is also very expensive.

4. I think from having friends that are photographers that use retouching, I think it’s a really great art. It’s not easy to be able to be great at retouching and it can make for the most beautiful photographs artistically that you have ever seen. For example I have seen him retouch a dancer’s photo for dance magazine. He modified the background to make it look tropical and he tightened her legs a TOUCH just to make them look a tiny bit straighter. He also shrunk her waist a nudge and fixed some hairs that were in wrong places. I think retouching shouldn't have a negative impact on young women because yes all those models in those magazines ARE really that thin.

Interview with a Retoucher

.              http://t-retouching.com/ 1.  For how long have you been doing retouching?

I started as an intern at Shootdigital in 2001. A couple of months later I was hired as a full time junior retoucher. In 2008 I decided to go independent.

2. Are you passionate about your job? Why so? Do you consider yourself an artist?

I do not consider myself an artist even though many people have told me so. I guess I am an artist to the extend where I can see where the photographer wants to take the image and what the image must express and through my choices for color, composition, and aesthetics I take the image to that place. I guess you could call it a form of commercial art because I have seen all different retouching. If my work is to be compared to what most people call "airbrushing", then yes I am an artist.
I have always said that I am lucky to love what I do and get paid for it. I believe that passion for the work or the business is necessary for someone to succeed at it. I am blessed to love what I do and I cannot imagine any change of career (and I hope I don't have to).

3. Do you mind naming publications in which your work has appeared as well as some of the brands for which you have done campaign work?

My work has appeared in most major publications such as Elle, Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Shape Magazine, Health Magazine, Family Circle etc.  As far as it goes for brands, I have done work for Target, Kohl's, few different Estee Lauder brands (Estee Lauder, American Beauty, La Mer, Clinique), Guess, Dillards, Sally Hansen etc.

4. Are you aware of the fact that last year the Liberal Democrat Political party announced a campaign against airbrushing of models in publications aimed at teenagers under sixteen. What are your thoughts on the topic?

Now I am, but this is an old and familiar issue.
I feel strongly that the real problem is a misunderstanding of what our contemporary youth culture is due to poor education, disinformation, and lack of communication with parents, which often results in poor confidence.
5. Do you think that retouching has a negative impact on young women in general? Many women are not aware to what degree are the pictures in the magazines changed, they are striving to achieve a similar look, and it is basically impossible

 I believe that when a girl becomes a victim of an eating disorder, it is not really to fit an image but to get the attention that the image acquires .This is a serious psychological problem that is unfairly blamed on magazines and idealized imagery.
 Creating an ideal and an iconic image has been in humanity since the ancient times (Egypt, Greece, and Rome). Ever since art existed, there have been trends of forms, shapes, lights, and colors that have changed due to what society idealized at that moment and became part of the artistic expression. Therefore, fashion changed with times too - to alter us to that ideal (take corsets for example or shoulder pads, even bras!)
I believe that these young girls' problems are much deeper and need to be discussed professionally through family therapy.  It is silly and ignorant to blame them on retouching.
 Retouching is an aesthetic necessity and a natural step of evolution, as MEDIA and the power of it have evolved through the ages. Media, especially when related to fashion and life style, is a trend setting, and product selling part of our cultural environment. I emphasize cultural as if you ever cared to check, different countries and even continents, have a different set of what beauty and iconic imagery is. Of course, it is also naive to believe that a certain model or an actress looks like what the shot is at all times (we often forget that there is age involved but we somehow want to hold on to that image that stays with us).
 Another thing that most people do not realize is that when you have a face that is still and enlarged you notice all sorts of imperfections. Those are there but we do not see them when a person is moving.  Most of the time the person is really beautiful and this is what the photographer is trying to translate to the paper. However, we have to make sure it appears to the eye as it appeared to the photographer when he shot it: perfect and beautiful.
  It is often that the image is about a feeling. Because what we want to do with our self and our self image is to create a feeling in society or the opposite sex. So depending on the creative direction, a lot of work is required and the image is pretty far from reality. In that case it should be obvious and it is, of course done on purpose.
 People should think as this issue more of its psychological and social side and will see that this problem has nothing to do with the images but it is an issue that has always existed between youth and women in general as it is female nature to always be consious of looks and always doubt the value of one self.
 If a young girl has been shown love, appreciation, acceptance, attention and has been given direction, and motivation in life, I do think that this problem won’t exist. But we cannot demand that from the public, the public should demand this from itself. To conclude, I just find it ignorant to blame health or psychological issues on the images appearing in the magazines. So let's all be aware of this and take a deeper look into what really the problem is.

 

6. Did you have any of your pictures retouched?   How would you feel if you have your pictures retouched by another retoucher.

Personally as a retoucher, I would not allow another retoucher to do my pictures.
If we are talking about models and actors, this is a whole different story. They have signed contracts for a lot of money. It is a legal battle of how much say one has. Usually when an actor appears in a magazine it is to advertize either their movie or a fragrance or a clothing line (one way or another). In that case this is directly related to their career which has been managed by publicists. Depending on the contract the actor can or cannot approve of the imagery. Often they cannot as it is the art directors of either the company or the magazine that have the last say. I hope this answers the question...

 

7. And to sum up, do you have anything to say to all the young women who feel insecure looking every day at the perfect images in the magazines. Can you come up with any solutions for that problem?

Women need to learn to know self worth. This is not achieved through copying someone's look but through discovering who they really are. They need to look deeper and discover their inner beauty. They need to understand that what they see in the magazine is made to be pleasing the eye but it is also an image that has been technically produced. Depending on angle and light a person can look shorter, skinnier, create a mood of happiness or drama. There is inevitable technical issues that all girls know are possible when taking a photo such as weight and color. You all know the camera does add a few pounds - why else are the models picked to be the ridiculous sizes that they are.  This is something that most people do not know. And this was a trend set before retouching existed. Often when picture is taken teeth appear yellower than in reality and eyes are bloodshot: well you would agree that you know for a fact that you don't look like you look in that picture right? But also you did not sign a million dollar contract with L'oreal where you HAVE to look like what you actually LOOK on stage, so here comes retouching to save the day. No one wants to offend anyone. We are often just tools of the art directors (and sometimes they are to blame). Personally I support a natural look. But as a person with an artistic understanding I must say that beauty is an absolute must and it is a fine line but it is needed. It isn't for everyone to understand as it isn't for everyone to read Russian literature. But every woman must know that she should value and love herself and be happy with who she really is once this has been discovered. There is no need to LOOK like someone else when what they are trying to actually give you is their style. And this is what fashion is about: beauty, style, and originality.

The Photoshop Effect

Why retouching is a very personal topic

I was born and raised in Bulgaria. The city that I come from is relatively small. Growing up as a teenager in Bulgaria, I was not exposed to many teen or fashion magazines. Most of the magazines back then were expensive so my parents were not able to afford giving me money for magazines every single week. And to be honest there were not that many fashion magazines published in Bulgaria, back then.  The aftermath of communism still existed. I remember seeing once in the store a version of Italian Vogue. For some reason it was wrapped in plastics and I could not even take a look inside. Of course I have seen images of models and celebrities, mostly on TV though or in some newspapers.  In my free time I used to read a book, go biking or just hang out with friends.

In 2004, I decided to come to the United States and continue my education here. I was 18- years –old back then. I decided to come to New York because I have been always interested in different cultures. After all, New York is one of the most diverse cities in the world. And here I was…several months after graduating high school I was ready to face the challenges that the big city offers.

I was dazzled by the skyscrapers, the shiny stores and the fashion around me . It was all new to me and I wanted to explore it all.  I remember the first time that I went to Time Square … I fell in love with all the billboards depicting gorgeous models. Then I “discovered “the fashion magazines, and simply got obsessed. I was in love with Elle, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, but my favorite of them all was Vogue. I remember looking at the photos in these magazines for hours, admiring the gorgeous women depicted. I was buying a dream and most importantly wanted to be part of the dream. As a result I started being obsessed with the way I look. I was spending crazy amount of money on all different beauty products, personal trainer, and clothing. My goal was to achieve perfection. Unfortunately, this obsession had negative impact on my life. As a result I was not performing well in school and had to skip one semester. It also had a great impact on my relationships with men because I was always feeling insecure.

 Three years ago I started internship in a company specializing in retouching. I have heard about retouching before I started working in the institution but was not familiar how it works. I am very thankful that I had the opportunity to explore to what extend the images that we see in magazines are retouched. It was a wakeup call! I realized that I was missing my real self. I was trying to look like one of these women on the commercials without realizing that it is actually IMPOSIBLE. These women do not exist. 99.9 % of the images that we see are artificially created.  Magazines are selling a dream. It is good to look at the dream. However, do not try to be part of it because it is unhealthy and the image that you want to achieve is unattainable.